Two trailers, many roofs destroyed in Tuesday storm

Brian DeNeal

Wednesday

Jan 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMJan 30, 2008 at 2:56 PM

A strong storm damaged many roofs, destroyed two mobile homes and downed several power lines in Saline County on Wednesday.

A strong storm damaged many roofs, destroyed two mobile homes and downed several power lines in the area Wednesday.
The hardest hit area seemed to be in a corridor between the Karel Park area up Raleigh Road and into the west side of Eldorado.
The trailer of Michael Rector at 900 Karel Park Road was destroyed and partially blown into the road. A piece of the trailer's siding was wrapped around a pine tree across the road and fiberglass insulation hung in the limbs. Straight-line winds appear to be the cause, Sheriff Keith Brown said.
The Rector family was not at home. American Red Cross Little Egypt Chapter provided housing for the Rectors and for Frances Dunning and her family whose mobile home was crushed by a fallen tree.
Dunning's son Rocky Dunning and stepson Keaton Walls were at home at the time and were trapped in the side of the trailer, cut off from any exit. Eldorado firefighters responded to the entrapment, but the two were already out.
"By the time we got there they had a window out," Fire Chief Mike McKinnies said.
The Saline County Courthouse recorded wind gusts of 56 mph, and Saline County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Allan C. Ninness was checking this morning at the Harrisburg/Raleigh Airport to find wind speeds in the Raleigh area.
McKinnies reported a large tree was down in Mahoney Park, the steeple of the Gospel Assembly Church was blown off, a large tree blew over at the Eagles building and buried a car, the Old Carter Hatchery on Raleigh Road lost an outbuilding and a large tree fell on the southwest corner of the house, several houses including that of Danny Joe and Marsha Johnson on Greenhill Road south of Raleigh Road lost pieces of roofing, a carport was lifted off of its supports and landed on a van at the 1390 Greenhill Road residence of Gayla and Bryan Heath and an oil filled tank on Whitlock Road overturned and spilled oil.
Ninness said probably 30 home or business owners have reported roof damage and predicts at least twice that have unreported or unspotted damage.
"People definitely need to get out and check their roofs for damage that may not show up until next time it rains," Ninness said.
The storm moved very quickly dropping temperatures from 65 degrees to 37 degrees in 15 minutes. By 9 p.m. the temperature was 20 degrees and at 10 p.m. the wind chill was minus 10 degrees, Saline County E-911 Director Lt. Tracy Felty said.
Wind blew down a power line at Hilltop Road and U.S. Route 45 in the Ledford area and U.S. Route 45 was shut down for three hours, Felty said.
He said Mac's Tool Shop in Shawneetown lost it's roof and a house trailer on Farmer Road in Ridgway was knocked off of its foundation.
No one was reported injured in the storm.
"We are very fortunate we didn't have more damage or injuries than we did," Ninness said.
Ameren Illinois Utility crews worked all night and by 8 a.m. had restored power to about 26,000 of the 30,000 customers statewide who were affected by the storm, according to a release from Ameren.
"Safety is our first and foremost concern when severe storms strike," Ron Pate, vice president of Regional Operations for the Ameren Illinois Utilities said in a prepared release.
"The most important safety rule is to stay clear of downed power lines and always call your Ameren Illinois utility or '911' if you see downed lines."
Pate said people should assume all downed power lines are energized and to stay inside at night and away from brush, shrubs and downed trees that may hide downed lines.
Saline County Sheriff's Deputies warned onlookers away from the Karel Park Road trailer destruction fearing there was a live wire somewhere that had not been located.
Ameren said the cold and wind slowed the company's ability to restore power. Power must be restored in stages in order to lessen demand on natural gas operations when large numbers of homes and businesses have power restored.
Another storm front is predicted for Thursday and Friday.
Ameren suggests the following winter storm preparation tips:
- Develop shelter plans.
- Plan for medical needs of family members in the event there is no electricity available for an extended period.
- Assemble a storm kit and store it in a secure, centrally located part of the house where all family members can find it containing emergency phone numbers, flashlights, fresh batteries, extra garage and house keys, a battery powered radio, a battery powered or wind up alarm clock, supply of bottled water of 1 gallon per person per day, non-perishable food that does not require heating, blankets, bedding or sleeping bags, first-aid kit, medication, hand operated can opener, special items for infants or family members with special needs, hand tools such as a screwdriver, scissors and duct tape, plastic utensils, paper plates, waterproof matches, household bleach and identification and copies of important family documents.
- In a power outage, unplug or protect sensitive computer and electronic equipment with a high-quality surge protector.
- When severe weather is predicted make sure cell phones are fully charged and remember that cordless landline telephones will not work in a power outage.
- When power goes out, check first with a neighbor to see if the outage is isolated and, if so, check the panel box for a tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse.
To report an outage or downed power line, call AmerenCIPS at (888) 789-2477.
Brian DeNeal receives e-mail at bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.

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